November 2013 • 39
Associations Convene
for First Southern New
England Energy Conference
MARKETERS FROM CONNECTICUT, RHODE
Island andMassachusetts convened recently
for the first Southern New England Energy
Conference.
Held at the Mohegan Sun hotel and
casino in Uncasville, Conn., the two-day
event was a joint production of the
Connecticut Energy Marketers Association
(CEMA), the Massachusetts Energy
Marketers Association (MEMA) and the Oil
Heat Institute of Rhode Island (OHIRI).
The conference had a strong focus on
education, with more than 30 seminars
and breakout sessions on four professional
tracks for Biofuels, Propane, Motor Fuels
and Service Management. Topics covered
included biofuel laws, underground storage
for gas stations, competition with natural
gas utilities, Obamacare, business diversi-
fication, financial planning and business
valuation. Tom Kloza, chief oil analyst
at Oil Price Information Service (OPIS),
delivered the conference’s Keynote Address
during lunch on the conference’s first day.
In conjunction with the multi-state
event, CEMA held its Annual Meeting and
Awards Night. The Association presented
three awards to members for their out-
standing work: Steve Rosentel of Leahy’s
Fuels, as Marketer of the Year; Alan White
of C. White & Son, as Associate of the Year;
and a special Lifetime Achievement Award
to Donald B. Craft. Presenting the award
to Craft were CEMA Board Chair Sharon
Bloomer, Apple Oil; former Executive
Director of Independent Connecticut
Petroleum Association Charles Isenberg;
Ray Gincavage, Global Companies; and
Rick Bologna, Westmore Fuel.
CEMA presented its highest industry
award to Rosentel, CEO of Leahy’s Fuels,
of Danbury, Conn. The association honored
him for his service on legislative issues,
including representing heating oil and pro-
pane dealers at hearings at Connecticut’s
General Assembly; helping to block a
proposed tax on heating oil that would
have hurt consumers; and raising public
awareness on energy issues. In addition to
running Leahy’s Fuels, Rosentel is a board
member of CEMA, and is the president
of the Propane Gas Association of New
England.
CEMA presented its
outstanding vendor service
award to White, Director
of Northeast Marketing for
Petrochemical Transport,
Rocky Hill, Conn., a divi-
sion of the Kenan Advantage
Group. Better known as one
of the co-owners of C. White
& Son, a trucking company
founded by his grandfather
some 60 years ago that was
sold to the Kenan Advantage
Group last year, White has
been instrumental in pro-
viding critical information
on bottlenecks in the supply
chain for the transportation
of petroleum products.
“When the lines got
long at gas stations due
to Hurricane Irene, Storm
Sandy or the Halloween
snowstorm of 2011, the
industry knew in advance
because of information pro-
vided by White on closures
or slowdowns at terminals
throughout the region that
supply gasoline and diesel,”
CEMA wrote. “This allowed
government to prepare and
make the necessary deci-
sions to facilitate the flow of
these products.”
CEMA presented its
first Lifetime Achievement
Award to Craft, of Madison,
Conn., for 53 years of
service to his industry.
Craft has served as a leader,
mentor and inspiration to generations of
oilheat marketers since he first started with
Wyatt Energy in 1960. Since then he has
worked for Petroleum Heat and Power,
Global Petroleum, Citizens Bank, and most
recently until his retirement earlier this
year, with Gulf Oil, L.P.
Craft served as the president of the
Connecticut Petroleum Association in
1970-71, and received the industry’s highest
award, Marketer of the Year, in 1972. He
was a director of the Petroleum Marketers
Association of America from 1974-2013,
and a director of the New England Fuel
Institute from 1965-2013, as well as its
past president. He continues to serve as an
Emeritus Director of CEMA and chairs its
Nominating Committee.
In addition to the CEMA awards,
MEMA presented a special award to Paul
Nazzaro of Advanced Fuel Solutions; and
OHIRI presented a special award to Global
Petroleum, Inland Fuel Terminals, and
Sprague Energy.
Jon Scharingson,
Director of Sales
and Marketing
for REG, leads
a seminar on
biodiesel and
Bioheat
®
.
Tom Tubman,
Executive Director
of the American
Energy Coalition,
discusses the
Oilheat industry’s
competitive
struggle for
market share.
Tom Kloza, chief
oil analyst at Oil
Price Information
Service, delivers
the keynote
address for the
first Southern New
England Energy
Conference.
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